April 2024 Birthdays

Adding Connor to our family meant adding another April birthday, so we made a drive up to NW Arkansas to visit our college crew. Our new favorite pit stop is The Coffee Parlor.

We enjoyed spending time with my mom, Olivia, Connor, and several of their friends, and of course we hung balloons and ate birthday cake!

Sarah's piano had been living with friends in Siloam, but now it was moving to Texas. So my mom hitched up a trailer, we loaded the piano, Katherine jumped in the vehicle, and they hit the road to Dallas.

Aaron and I took the scenic route home and found some gems. Thanks to Kat Robinson's books, we stopped at the Pig Trail Bypass Country Cafe for lunch. What a good decision...the burgers and onion rings were fabulous!

101 Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die and 102 More Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die each have regional maps, so finding a hole-in-the-wall place to eat is easy, but choosing just one is a challenge. Since we hardly ever go out to eat, we often pair adventures in hiking with adventures in eating.

After a huge, delicious lunch, we explored beautiful White Rock Mountain and its trails. I have a feeling we will be coming back to rest longer next time. The view is superb, and this small park is the hub for several longer trails.

 Aaron's Dad #2 has a birthday at the end of April, and he chose IHOP for his 86th birthday celebrations. The staff gathered to sing a rousing happy birthday as we ate breakfast together.

Sweet Sabbath

It is notable that the bridegroom's (Jesus') word to the foolish and unprepared was not "I disapprove of you" or "Get your act together" or "I'm hurt and offended by your inaction." 

Instead, he said that he did not know them. They had not taken time to seek or nourish a relationship with him. This foolishness and lack of care revealed their hearts; they were far from him. 

They had no preparations -- no oil for their lamps -- and therefore no illuminating potential for dark times or places. 

~Curt Thompson, "The Deepest Place"

More April 2024

 "May God give you intentionality to shape your weeks with his word, ingenuity to shower your days with his voice, and creativity to punctuate your life and the lives of those around you with fresh routines for regularly availing yourself of his lifegiving words." 

~David Mathis, "Habits of Grace"

With the loss of my job, April brought the opportunity for different, slower rhythms as well as "fresh routines". Several of the orch dorks participated in a musical theater production, so I attended to support their hard work.

Cellotrio observed the Great North American Solar Eclipse, my two favorite aspects were

1) hearing the neighbors all oooohhh and aaaahhh when the ring of fire appeared and the sky went dark

2) the family group chat as each of us in Texas and Arkansas experienced the eclipse and shared our pictures and stories.

Katherine attended her first formal with a bunch of other homeschooled students.

I continued my chemo treatments, rejoicing that I only had two more after this one.

Spring also meant that calves were born, and raw milk was once again available from Richardson Farms in Rose Bud.

The calves were adorable and let me nuzzle them when I picked up my gallons of creamy milk.

This deliciousness is worth the drive!

April 2024 Orchestra Trip

"God can take hard stories with tremulous beginnings and weave them into something sweet and good, even though the threads are made of trials." ~Glenna Marshall

My position at school was dissolved at the end of March, due to budget constraints. I was devastated.

 These students and teachers supported me through the roughest of my cancer treatments, and when I spend time with them, they bring me much joy.

But I was still invited to chaperone the orchestra trip to Dallas, and I gladly accepted! 

The orchestra played in Meyerson Center, and we even had a former student come to cheer on their performance.

My roommate was a dear friend, who graciously dealt with my cancer related fatigue.

She also rode roller coasters with me at Six Flags :)

This year's seniors were a particularly special bunch to me, they were beginners the year I taught orchestra full time. I've watched them grow into incredible musicians, but more importantly, I've watched them blossom into responsible, funny, creative young adults.

 

April 2024 New Beginnings

"We can live with holy anticipation because God is ordering our footsteps."

~Mark Batterson, "In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars"

Spring burst upon us as the azaleas bloomed

the local strawberries ripened,

and the neighborhood dogwoods dazzled.

Our last average frost date is April 15, so when the month began, we initiated the last of the seed planting. Melon seeds went into peat pots to place in the warm ground next month.

Daffodils and hyacinths made way for cheerful yellow irises, given to me by my dear friend, Lauren.

We planted beloved long beans (the Thai soldier variety) and winged beans (which haven't done well in the past), so we could have a taste of the Solomon Islands.

But this year we added trellises, since we learned that those beans need copious amounts of space to grow! 

Being pole beans, these beans bloom and fruit much later than the bush beans, but they thrive in the heat and humidity of our Arkansas summers.

Easter Weekend 2024

 

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime" ~Martin Luther

We had a lively bunch at our house to celebrate Easter weekend. 

Luke, Sarah, Olivia, and Connor stayed with us, so the table was full when we made resurrection cookies and sang.

What a sweet tradition to wake up on Easter morning and start the day with cookies that remind us of the empty tomb. 

After church, extended family began to arrive.

After living overseas for so many years, the opportunity to gather with family to celebrate a holiday is extra sweet.

I especially appreciate the time with four generations of family.

Of course, Sarah whipped up a coconut cake for the grand finale.

March 2024 Keeps on Marching

My calendar kept the countdown for the last few chemo treatments, and my hair began to show signs of its old curly self as it continued to grow.

The weather grew warmer and we tried growing new things in our yard. My former math teacher, a master gardener, gave us several raspberry bushes last year, so we made a trellis to support the fruit they would bear this year.

The little tomato and pepper seedlings I planted in January grew underneath the light in the laundry room, awaiting the last freezing night which usually occurs in mid April.

The weather became warmer, so Grandma and I took walks outside again.

I never tired of watching the seasons bring all of the joys and delights. Wisteria is one of my most favorite things.

Purim found us making Hamantaschen to share.

This tradition of remembering God's faithfulness is one of my favorites.

And it's delicious, too!

Another one of my favorite way to remember God's faithfulness is by celebrating our handholding-versary. This year marked thirty-four years of watching God work in our lives together.